Fire
by ia3
Summary: A national holiday for Konoha Village, marking the end of the LeafSound wars. Celebrations abound everywhere, champagnes being popped, parties being thrown. Naruto and Sakura however, reminisce about the real end of the war. NaruSakuH&E Contest Entry.


_This story contains suggestions of sexual nature and depictions of gore. Some characters may exhibit violent or sexual behaviours. Some scenes may distress and disturb readers with active imaginations. Reader discretion advised. Boys and girls, do not try this at home._

Summary: A national holiday for Konoha Village, marking the end of the Leaf-Sound wars. Celebrations abound everywhere, champagnes being popped, parties being thrown. Naruto and Sakura however, reminisce about the real end of the war. NaruSaku-H&E Contest Entry.

_This means _flashbacks/thoughts (thoughts are represented by normal font face when italics are in use)

**This means **jutsu names

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto or any of the characters associated with the anime or manga. **

_Many thanks to violinkit, who helped beta read, and made this story possible._

"**Fire"**

**A Life in Flames: Fire for a Friend**

"Thank you Naruto, Sakura. Good night you two.." Iruka managed to get out, his voice strained under the weight that was currently on his shoulders, that of his best friend over the years and the only other man who had ever taught Naruto _and_ Sakura, the great copy-nin Hatake Kakashi, now so intoxicated he was reduced to mumbling incoherently and occasionally chewing on his silver hair which now draped his ever masked face. Next to him, Shizune tried to mirror his greeting of thanks, but found it almost impossible to do so, as on _her _shoulders was the weight of the drunk silver haired jounin's housemate, partner and long-time girlfriend, Mitarashi Anko. Without the ability to mold chakra that had come as a price of being pregnant with Iruka's child, the dark haired medic nin could not make use of her mentor's super strength techniques, and as a result, now huffed and puffed as she struggled to support the elite jounin's weight.

Seeing her predicament, Naruto moved forward to help her, but Iruka was there first. Having shifted Kakashi's body onto his left shoulder, he now reached out his right arm and wrapped it around Anko, relieving his wife of her burden. However, as he tightened his grip on her to ensure that she would not slip, he felt his fingers grasp something soft. An unhealthy tinge of red suddenly rose in Iruka's cheeks, which had nothing to do with the alcohol he had consumed that night, and he started to sweat. hoping that his wife had not seen the incident, he quickly moved his hands, searching for a..safer place to hold her.

Unfortunately for him, nothing escaped the meticulous eyes of Tsunade's elder apprentice. Her eyebrows twitched dangerously as she shot him a dirty look which said _"I know what you just did."_ Things got worse for Iruka as he tried to rectify his mistake, as the way he moved his hands around Anko's body made it look like he was feeling her up, right in front of his wife. As one, Shizune and Sakura's eyes grew wide, their jaws slacking in a look of pure horror. Naruto, on the other hand, found a trickle of blood starting to escape his nose. Covering it up, he sniffed and stepped forward and relieved Iruka of Anko's weight, effectively shielding him from the two women, who were now cracking their knuckles, with death glares directed at Iruka in Shizune's case, and alternating between Iruka and himself in the case of her pink haired friend.

Deciding that it was best to leave before they all got pounded into the ground, Naruto gave Iruka a slight prod, meant to indicate that he should lead the way. The brown haired chuunin looked to his wife, who only huffed at him in a pout then walked away in the direction of their house. Letting out a defeated sigh, he trudged along behind her with Kakashi still being supported on his shoulder.

Between the dirty looks Shizune kept shooting at her husband, his defeated sighs, Anko's drunken giggling and Kakashi's irregular hiccups, the journey to Kakashi's apartment passed in no time at all. They were now in the famous masked nin's apartment, and everywhere he looked, Naruto could see Icha Icha merchandise. Official Icha Icha underwear(of both sexes. As it turned out, Anko was as big a fan as her silver haired boyfriend) littered the floor, making it almost impossible to wade through the apartment without touching at least some of them(Shizune made a very informed decision not to enter the apartment and was now waiting outside for our two heroes), posters of the upcoming movie hung upon every available inch of wall space, and every bit of table that was not covered by ninja paperwork was occupied by an Icha Icha volume. Naruto snickered to himself. Who knew Kakashi-sensei could be so obsessive over porn. From all available evidence, he thought that as long as Kakashi was alive, Ero-sennin would never run out of money, or stop writing Icha Icha novels because Kakashi made them so successful all by himself.

"Naruto.." he heard Iruka call from Kakashi's room where he had unceremoniously dumped his friend onto his bed(which had Icha Icha bed covers!) "hurry up..Shizune..outside..cold". Navigating his way through Kakashi's clothes covered floor proved to be a challenge, until he located a path that Iruka had cleared for himself. As quickly as possible, he let Anko down onto the bed next to Kakashi before pulling the covers and tucking them both in. He was willing to bet his claim to Hokage-ship that this was the first time that those two slept in the same bed with their clothes intact, though, suppressing a blush, he knew they would rectify that in the morning.

Stepping out of the apartment, he saw that Iruka was now standing in the snow without his Chuunin vest, which he had given to his wife, who, at that very moment had deigned to sneeze. He had his arm draped around her shoulders, encircling her in a protective embrace, and was whispering something into her ear. Somehow, he had managed to satiate her previous anger, and was now back into her good books, something never easily done with a pregnant woman. Watching them from a distance, Naruto smiled to himself. His academy teacher had always been the sensitive type. It showed through the way that he pampered his wife, especially now that she was with child. Even from where he stood, Naruto could feel the love radiating from either of them. Truly, they were perfect for one another. Suddenly, he was filled with a feeling of longing. He missed Sakura, and wanted to get home to her as soon as he could.

"Goodnight Naruto," Iruka called out, as Shizune waved. Then, the brown haired man scooped his wife into his arms, and took off over the rooftops, headed for home. Turning on his heel, Naruto started to head back too. At first, he took slow, deliberate steps as was befitting of a jounin. But the thought of going back to Sakura bubbled within him, sending sparks through his neurons, and gradually, he began to pick up his pace, until suddenly, he found himself streaking through Konoha at top speed, with a smile plastered onto his face.

* * *

Upon reaching home, he saw that Sakura had tried, and as usual, failed to get a fire started. Her frustration was evident from her body language as she pounded log after log before tossing it noisily into the fireplace, where the tiny flame she had managed to spark with matches only died, smothered by the mass of wood she had placed on it.

"I'm home..."he whispered into her ear. Somehow, he had managed to creep up behind her while she had caused a ruckus trying to get the fire started.

Sakura jumped a little, as she had not expected him back so soon. "Not bad," she recovered, "for Konoha's number one loudmouth ninja." she teased, with a twinkle in her eye.

"So says the one who can't start a fire."

Naruto sneaked an arm around her waist, and she could feel him smirk as he proceeded to bury his head into the crook of her shoulder, nuzzling her with his hair. He, on the other hand, was amazed at how well their bodies complimented each other, how she seemed to _fit _into his arms, how the juncture between her neck and shoulders seemed made for his head, and how perfect they were as one, together.

Sighing in mock exasperation, she lifted an arm threateningly behind her. Recognising the gesture, the blonde on her shoulder quickly disentangled himself and lifted both arms above his head to defend himself against what he knew was coming, the fist of the only woman he had ever feared. Bracing himself for the impact, he waited. And waited, but it never came. Instead, she extended both her arms, wrapped them around his neck, and pulled him close to her, rubbing their cheeks against one another. Her smooth skin met his prickly, whiskered cheek, and out of pure instinct. he let out a low, guttural growl.

She ran her fingers lightly across his shoulders, delicate digits administering the faintest of touches as she traced her way down his arms before coming to rest in his much larger palm. Automatically, his fingers closed around hers, and act of protection and comfort so practiced that had now become part of his wide array of reflexes towards her. She knew this well, knew that no matter what she could do to him, he sought nothing but her comfort, cared about nothing but her safety. This time however, she was going to use that knowledge to her advantage.

As she turned around to face him, he could see that she still had that mischievous glint in her eyes. Either she was up to something, or he was about to get lucky. He gave a fleeting thought to the former, before focusing his attentions on making sure he got lucky. Suddenly, he felt something press against the palm of his hand. Before he could see what it was, she had withdrawn her palm from within his, pushing his fingers close, securing the box-like shaped object within his grasp.

"Naruto, will you start the fire?" she asked, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. It amused her that the face of possibly the most powerful ninja in Konoha had taken on a pout, as he almost sulked at being asked to start a fire. She knew he disliked fires, she knew the reason why, but she also knew he was good at starting fires, controlling them, and keeping them going. Teasingly, she batted her eyebrows and crawled closer to him so that their noses were separated by mere fractions of a centimetre.

"O-ne-gai?" she whispered into his ear, and when she felt his face radiate with heat as blood flushed towards it, she knew she had won. He turned for an instant, directing a sheepish grin towards her, before somehow wriggling out from beneath her and kneeling at the fireplace, the box of matches in his hand.

As she watched him strike the matches, control and start the fire with relative ease and familiarity, she could not help but break into a proud smile even if, when he turned around, distaste was evident on his face. However, at the sight of her smile, it vanished, replaced by a smile at nothing but the mere fact that Sakura was smiling. Gently, she patted the carpet, motioning for him to join her.

Grinning widely, he sat down beside her. Then, he gave her a wink, before letting gravity run its course. He thought, _"Payback is sweet," _as she gave a yelp of surprise when he suddenly allowed the entire upper half of his body to collapse onto her lap. Reacting quickly, she used her hands to brace the extra weight he had so unceremoniously thrown onto her and succeeded in steadying herself. Lifting an arm, she was about to send him flying through the roof for doing that to her when suddenly she caught the faraway look in his eyes as he snuggled against her with his head on her lap, his gaze directed at the dancing sparks within the hearth. Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet, and she knew he had already begun their yearly ritual. She shifted slightly. A tinge of red rose in her cheeks as she allowed his head to slip into a more compromising position as she spread her legs a little in a bid to obtain comfort. After all, they were going to be here a while.

Every year, it had been tradition for the both of them to sit together, watching the fire on this day. While everyone else would be getting drunk, partying and the like, the both of them would remain completely sober. They would dally around, often pushing the responsibility around before finally Naruto would give into starting the fire. Then, although every year they dreaded it, they both sat together in almost absolute silence, watching the fire burn.

This day, while Konoha celebrated the end of the Leaf-Sound war and the death of the village's most notorious blood traitors, both of them watched the burning flames together, no matter where they were. These hard cold facts weighed heavily on Sakura's shoulders, banishing all other thoughts as she too became silent, allowing herself to be overcome by the spell of the brightly burning flames.

* * *

When they thought of fire, they both remembered their disillusioned team mate. The village prodigy, from the Uchiha clan. The clan with a fan as its symbol-supposed to control the fire that had become the clan's signature ninjutsu. In search of power, he had forsaken the duty of the fan, unleashing that fire to its fullest potential, without restraint and completely devoid of control. Ultimately, the black fire that had burned inside of him since the massacre of his clan had ravaged him, body, mind and soul. The fire of revenge that burned for his older brother's flesh had won out, his rage and the need for vengeance consuming him from within. The avenger, Uchiha Sasuke, the only member of Team 7 that had not been there tonight was still very much on both their minds.

As one, both minds travelled back to that incident, one that had defined their purpose and their lives ever since. In that moment, both sets of consciousness were transported, as if by some unknown magical force back to the time when their friend and teammate had turned that fire on them.

Naruto remembered Sasuke's hands moving in a blur to form the seals he had seen the Uchiha use many times in the past at a speed which rivalled even Kakashi's. He remembered expecting the flame to explode from Sasuke's mouth as he almost heard him mentally project the jutsu's name at them. Remembered with amazing clarity how he had braced himself for the impact of the flames, only to realise that the giant fireball Sasuke exhaled had been aimed at Sakura, a blotch of pink hair from where he had been standing. At the time, his mind barely registered the look of shock and horror on the face of the girl he loved as he knew she was rooted by pure, mind numbing disbelief and would not be able to evade the attack.

"_Katon, Goukyakuu no Jutsu.."_ he mused, whispering it to himself as he reminisced about that moment. He felt a fingertip brush against his lips, then trace the sides of his face, brushing his hair from his eyes. Looking up from where his head was situated-on her lap, and seeing her eyes brimming with unshed tears, he knew she was thinking about the incident too.

"Sakura-chan.."

* * *

_Sakura had just arrived at the scene panting and almost out of breath as she had sprinted from Tsunade's office, all the way across Konoha village, then through the forest as soon as she'd heard that Naruto had gone after Sasuke, sparing only a backward glare at her mentor to admonish her for not telling her sooner. Granted, it was something that she had not done very often. However, when the safety of that blonde haired baka was concerned, she would take no prisoners. She remembered along the way how she had almost been sick with fear and paralysed by the panic that had overtaken her, remembered thinking _"He could really get himself **killed** this time!"_, then spurring herself on some more, in order to reach him quicker. _

When she thought of fire, Sakura saw it happening all over again in slow motion inside her mind. The face of the boy she had thought she loved. Seeing it after a long time, she was filled with a certain trepidation, coupled with only the slightest tinge of joy. She was feeling rather bitter, having been rejected time and time again. But she thought to herself, if he would be willing to come back, everything would be alright. They would work things out, and maybe she would get the future she had always daydreamed about since meeting a certain black haired Uchiha in the academy.

Those hopes were, however, ultimately incinerated by what happened next.

_He exhaled a giant fireball, directed towards her. Her mind reeled from the shock that he would actually attack her, and for all her ninja training, her body would not respond, would not move to evade the attack. It was..too shocking..too unexpected. Then, even Inner Sakura was silenced for once-unable to respond, her mind failing to register the fact that the boy of her fantasies had literally wanted to burn her. _

_She watched in horror as the burning inferno, a representation of Sasuke's true intentions for her, her dreams, Team 7, and for Konoha, sped towards her, watched in stunned disbelief even as she tried to move her body, desperately trying to avoid certain death. The fire formed a billowing mirage, and Sakura could have sworn she saw the blaze take a familiar orange tinge as it rippled the air in front of her, its heat blazing against her skin, threatening to combust every fibre of her being before it even so much as touched her, and she had stood there, knowing that there was nothing she could do, knowing in that moment that she had been oh so wrong to have thought that the Uchiha could ever be brought back to her, to Konoha, and to sanity. As she surrendered to fate however, she had had one regret. She regretted how she had treated Naruto in the past. How she'd shunned him, insulted him, then pushed him aside because she had been waiting for this boy. The same one who was about to kill her. _

"Fitting punishment.."_ she mused at the irony of her impending death, then lowered her eyes in shame, ready to embrace the flames. Only, they never came. But she still felt the heat from the fire._

"What in the..."_ she had thought incredulously as she checked herself for burns. Then, she suddenly became aware that a shadow was being cast upon her from the front. As she raised her head, she saw the back of a figure. One that looked startlingly like the blonde haired idiot she had come here to protect in the first place. He was taking the full force of the fireball to protect her, standing with his hands crossed in front of him in an X-shaped block. The acrid smell of burning flesh assaulted her nose as he turned his head around in an attempt to flash her one of his winning smiles. _

"Sakura-chan.."

* * *

The sound of his voice brought her back to the present. He called for her weakly now, as he did then, only then, it had been caused by the strain of facing the brunt of the now notoriously legendary Uchiha Sasuke's **Goukakyuu no Jutsu**, and now, it was probably a combination of the sake that had been flowing freely that night, plus the position she had allowed him to laze in. She smiled down at him and mussed his hair, even as a treacherous tear made its way down her smooth and flawless cheek.

"I'm fine," she reassured him, flashing him her own winning smile that she had adopted from his ever since they had started dating.

That was all in the past now. Their former teammate no longer walked the earth. In that selfsame fight, it had been Sakura who ended it all, dealing the final blow somewhere during the haze of the battle. With the fingers of her left hand still entangled, stroking Naruto's hair, she lifted her right hand, weakly balled into a fist and stared at it. She could not remember clearly the exact moment she had taken Sasuke's life, could not remember if it had been her right fist or her left that had dealt the finishing blow. She remembered...

_The earth exploded in a shower of dust as the two boys spiralled towards the ground. Jumping from tree to tree, she only knew she had to get closer, had to find out what had happened, had to know if either of them had made it. Sasuke, Naruto..she didn't know which she wished to find alive more. For a moment, she subconsciously wondered when she had started caring about Naruto's wellbeing. She wondered when she had been alright with using both Sasuke and Naruto's names in the same sentence, with the same importance. Then, the air cleared and those thoughts flew out her mind. The sight that she beheld shocked her to mind numbing silence for the second time that day._

_Naruto was being pinned to the ground by Sasuke, with one hand grappling with Sasuke's left, and another immobilised, twisted at an awkward angle behind his back. What shocked her was Sasuke's right hand. Chakra was condensing into his palm, to the point of visibility. Blue sparks ran up and down his forearm as she heard the inevitable sound of chirping birds. She had seen that technique more than once, used by Kakashi sensei and Sasuke himself. Only then, Sasuke had used it against Gaara of the Sand. Then, he had been their ally and their closest companion. He had been on their side, and she had been astounded, amazed and even proud that her crush had been able to injure someone who had been branded 'untouchable', pulling off such a high level jutsu nonetheless! Now, as she saw him bend down to whisper something into the blonde jinchuuriki's ear even as his lips twisted into a cruel cross between a smirk and a snarl, and his right arm bent back, preparing to deliver the strike which would almost certainly end even Naruto's life, the gravity of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks._

_The weight of reality smashed the already not-so-perfect world she lived in, destroying completely the image of the young boy whom she had put onto a pedestal before her, the demi-god whom she and Ino had together worshipped, and the image of the young man she had thought she fell in love with. Watching as his arm, charged with electric particles penetrated her blonde haired friend's chest, she knew, that boy had never existed in the first place. _

_Her vision fogged up as the tears clouded her eyes. Naruto was going to die. He was probably already dead by now, and she had watched while he was killed. Watched as he had not had the opportunity to go all out, caught between protecting her and fighting Sasuke all at the same time for more than half the battle. Watched as he had been defeated and bloodied, then watched again as his existence was wiped out by the man he was supposed to bring back. _

_Treacherous tears still flowing freely from her eyes, she stood up and hurriedly mopped her tear streaked face with her gloved hands. She had watched for long enough. She was not going to be left behind, watching both their backs any longer, neither Naruto's back, nor Sasuke's. She would show them, she was not useless. She would show him not to mess with Sakura, and show him for killing her friend and teammate. As she looked at him, he removed his bloodied right hand from inside of Naruto. He looked at his hand, dripping with blood. Blood which now soaked Naruto's face, dripped down the side of his cheeks, and stained the front of his clothes. Seeing that much blood. Knowing it was **Naruto's **blood, and knowing that the man who had just done it was standing right there in front of her, something inside Sakura snapped. _

_Sasuke had been reveling in the death of his former best friend, relishing the sight and the smell of fresh blood on his hands. Blood that he had seen once, but then never been able to draw again until now, so many years after that battle at the Valley of the End. He smirked, enjoying the dull ache that assaulted his heart from the inside, and knowing what his brother knew. Knowing that **this **was what he meant when he had told him to hate, and to live a miserable life. He now had the mangekyou, thanks to Naruto. Someday, if he had the chance, he would go to hell and kill him all over again as a sign of his gratitude for making it possible for him to obtain a weapon which rivalled that of his brother's strength. Someday. But now, he had only one thing left to do. Destroy Itachi. _

_Suddenly, he heard a high pitched scream from his right and turned to see a blur of pink and red charging towards him. So, she'd been there all the while, he thought. He opened his mouth to tell her that it was no use trying to hit him, opened his mouth to mock her weakness at only being able to watch as he had killed the only thing they had ever had in common, but the words died in his mouth as he felt something impact against his jaw, shattering the bone into a thousand pieces with a sickening thud. He only had time to wonder, _How?_, before the next blow impacted. The very last thing Sasuke ever saw, was a mop of pink hair, his eyes glassy from the amount of tears she had rained down on him, and his body weak from the continuous beating he had taken. He wanted to tell her she had become strong. He wanted to tell her about all the pain he had gone through all those years after he had left them to join Orochimaru. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was that he killed Naruto. He wanted to do anything that would make her stop, but his body wouldn't obey him. It was too weak now, the injuries he had sustained were too substantial. In the end, he had been just that..too weak._

* * *

"Naruto.." she called to him.

With his elbows, he pushed himself up from his comfortable perch to look her in the eyes. Something about her voice told him that not everything was as right as it felt.

"Sakura-chan..you alright?"

She came to the realisation that she was worrying him again, even in the haze of her thoughts. She tried to master her voice, and muster a grin to ensure him she was alright. But, strong as her will was, the grin would not come. She could only look at him with half a smile and tears welling up in her eyes, and tell him,

"I'm just glad you're alive.."

She felt a hand snake itself around her waist as he pulled her towards him, wrapping her in a protective, loving embrace. He was her blanket, providing her with a sense of security which she only felt around him. He said nothing, only held her close with all his might, his body welcoming hers with its warmth and love. No words needed to be said. Naruto had always been that way, better at speaking through his body than his words.

As though sensing the growing closeness between them, the fire gently reduced in intensity, casting a dim, comforting glow about the room and the space that they occupied.

Fire, in controlled quantities and predetermined power, could be friend and very formidable ally, but when allowed to grow out of control, would become a powerful enemy, turning on everything around it without discretion. Fire could burn, fire could destroy, but fire is also used to temper steel, bonding various metals together to form the strongest of bonds, each metal complimenting the other, strengthening and beautifying the end product.

Uchiha Sasuke, the personification of this fire no longer hung between them as a friend or a comrade lost. Rather, he had been the fire that tempered their relationship, the fire that had sealed their bond, and ensured that they would last forever, until the end of time.

Thankful that at least one thing had come from his leaving. Thankful that she had found someone who would always be there for her in Naruto, she allowed herself to be held by him, surrendering all that she was to him as her head buried itself into the crook of his neck and the tears from her face began to flow freely again.

He hated seeing her this way. Hated seeing the tears trickle down her cheeks as she emptied her eyes in sadness. Hated it the most because it was these times that he couldn't help but feel helpless, unable to soothe her mind, relieve her sadness or abate her crying. Times like these, he knew there was only one thing that he could do for her. And so he held her with all his heart, with all his might, and with everything he _was_, he held her against himself, hoping that at the very least he could act as a sort of buffer against whatever was going through her mind.

But then she told him she was glad he was alive. It had been a whisper, soft and delicate like she was, and almost lost in the crackling sounds of the fire, but he'd caught it. And then, even the great Uzumaki Naruto, the man who had defied the Akatsuki on his own, almost single handedly taking on half its members at once, not only surviving but managing to severely injure a certain Uchiha Itachi as well, even he had to bite back the tears which had come unbidden to his eyelids and threatened to spill over and drench his face, and then hers.

After all, it had been because of her that he was alive. That day, he had lost to his former teammate totally and completely. He'd refused to tap into his Kyuubi powers, even as the other had activated his cursed seal. Even then, he had managed to hold his own well enough. Then, Sasuke had unleashed the power of the second stage of the cursed seal, and the fight had almost been a one sided affair. He remembered every blow of the battle after that point.

* * *

_For every blow that he had landed, Sasuke had managed to hit him twice. Over and over again they charged at one another over the treetops, with the sounds of metal kunai clanging, the smell of blood sweat and tears filling his senses, and a panorama of the Uchiha's fist more than once the only thing he could see. His whole body hurt, the bruises and cuts starting to catch up to him without the aid of the demon fox whose chakra he had suppressed and would not call forth. Not in this battle, this was his battle, and he would win it, not that damned fox. _

_Pushing off with his right foot, he launched himself a few feet above the treeline, preparing to meet Sasuke again in midair. His eyes scanned the trees around where he thought he had seen Sasuke crash as he'd pulled off yet another Naruto rendan on him. Suddenly, he spotted him. His hands shaped in a cross, Naruto created just one shadow clone, even as Sasuke came hurtling out of the undergrowth, a chidori halfway from forming on his right arm._

"**_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!"_**

_The clone knew its job. Molding chakra onto his other's right arm, he subtly added his own, wind elemental chakra to the mix, creating a deadly, cutting vortex which now rested upon Naruto's palm. Having completed his task, the clone took hold of Naruto's left hand, and pivoted a complete circle in midair, then flung Naruto towards the onrushing Sasuke, who was enveloped in crackling electrical chakra and had by now been fully consumed by the cursed seal. _

"**_Fuuton!! Raseng-..."_**

_Just as he was about to complete the jutsu, sending a spiralling sphere of destruction into the raven haired avenger, Naruto had an epiphany. He realised, he couldn't kill Sasuke, no matter what he had done. No matter that he had almost killed him, more times than he could remember. No matter that he had turned his back on them, no matter that just a few moments ago, he had tried to kill Sakura. Deep inside, a part of Naruto still remembered the Sasuke he had grown up with, held hopes for the Team 7 that he remembered to be reinstated to its former glory, couldn't kill Sasuke. Deep down, he wanted to believe that Sasuke wouldn't have killed Sakura, had the same thoughts as he did, could never really bring himself to kill Naruto either. Deep down, he still remembered the promise that he had made, the promise of a lifetime. How his heart had broken that day, but been mended if not completed when Sakura had stopped crying and smiled. He imagined the shape her face would take when he finally managed to bring Sasuke back, the joy evident on her face, her tears would be of happiness this time, and he knew, no matter what, he had to bring Sasuke back alive. So he relinquished his control over the glowing sphere in his hand, allowing the chakra and wind to dissipate back into the environment, where chakra belonged, just like he had done so many years ago when they had met, in a different location. _

_Just like he had done so many years ago, Sasuke never hesitated when he saw Naruto's resolve weaken and felt his sphere of chakra being reabsorbed into the environment. He plunged his right arm into Naruto's chest, delivering only the first of what would ultimately be a double death blow, because Naruto could never be killed by a single attack. He recovered too quickly, it was just impossible. But that was the way Sasuke liked it. This way, he could extend his death as long as possible, and make the jinchuuriki realise who was the superior one after all. Reaching out with his left hand, he twisted Naruto's right behind the blonde's back, and dislocated his shoulder, then shattered his forearm with a strike of his palm. He had realised long ago that Naruto would never and could never bring himself to kill him, but as Orochimaru had taught him, it never hurt to make double sure. Even as they spiralled downwards, Sasuke locked his legs around Naruto's ensuring he would not escape. After all, one could never be sure with Konoha's number one most unpredictable ninja. Satisfied with his work, he brought his left arm around again, and meshed it with his right, forming the first seal, the Ox. Rabbit..Monkey..Tiger, his hands flashed in a series of seals while his chakra started to take on its electric element, forming the beginnings of a chidori on his right arm. Mentally, he took a moment to check his chakra reserves, and he realised he would only have enough chakra for a single chidori. Releasing the second stage of the cursed seal had cost him a lot of chakra, and staying in it for as long as he had, he was almost drained. It would have to do. Concentrating the remainder of his chakra into his right hand, he raised it, ready to strike, when suddenly, he felt something restrain his arm. _

_Looking down, he saw a smirk form on the visage of the teammate he had thought immobilised and unconscious, and he knew. Naruto had not given up. Only semi-conscious as he was, his body had moved automatically, trying to free itself, fighting for his life even as he lay on the brink of death. He snarled at Sasuke even as his right hand gripped the avenger's right. _

_This did not faze his former raven haired teammate in the least. Methodically, he reached out with his left hand, and grappled with the blonde's right, loosening its grip on his right arm just long enough to replace it with his left. Sasuke was fine with this. It freed his right arm to do what he needed to do, what he should have done many years ago..obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan._

_As his grip on Sasuke's arm bearing the chidori was broken, Naruto lashed out with his good arm-the right, and managed to secure a grip on an arm. Disoriented, he did not at the time realise it had been the wrong arm he had gripped, and so held on to it as though his life depended on it (which he had thought was the case at the time). Suddenly, he felt something hard slam against his back and heard the sickening crunch of shattering bone. Soil obscured his vision, and for less than a millisecond, he had thought it was a dream, and that he was alright. Then, he had heard Sasuke's voice._

"_You could never kill me. This time, I finish what we started...dobe.."_

_Trying to comprehend the meaning behind the words of the man he had considered his brother, Naruto had not anticipated, and almost missed what had happened next. He hardly felt Sasuke's electrically charged arm rend flesh and bone, and it came as a shock when he felt an unbearable, stabbing pain where his heart should have been. His eyes bulged, his mouth moved soundlessly, and a scream died in his throat as he drowned in his own blood. _

_For a few seconds, the mess of orange beneath the raven haired man tensed and twitched, as though trying to fend off death itself, but inevitably, they reduced as the other man moved inexorably closer and closer to death's door until finally, the body went limp and slumped deeper into the crater that their fall had created._

* * *

Of course, Naruto did not remember all that. After the inexplicable, unexpected jolt of searing pain which had overloaded his senses, everything was dark to him, and nothing existed. In fact, he had been certain that he had been dead then. He had been so sure that that had been the end of his life, which had been unfulfilled, and littered with unkept promises.

In those moments, coherent thought slipped away from him slowly but surely. He felt as though he was floating in limbo, caught between two worlds-that of the living, and that of the dead. A part of him told himself that at that very moment, dreams, promises and hopes..they all didn't matter any longer. It told him that since he was going to die anyway, nothing did.

Yet another part had encouraged him to fight the rapidly constricting claws of death. It tried to convince him that he had had so much left to do, so much yet left to see and so many things to live for. But after all the hardships he had endured in life-including the tortures of being ignored, discriminated against, coupled with him never having anyone to turn to, Naruto truly felt that he had had enough, and that that was it for him. He was tired of all the pain, the emptiness and worst of all, the loneliness. Then, he had felt as though giving in and giving up was the lesser of two evils, and thus, it was this side that had been fighting a losing battle.

That is, until a certain familiar sound reached what was left of his hearing organs. It had started off distant and muffled, as though there but not really there, and Naruto had consciously strained his essence and all that was left of his broken mind, body and spirit to discern the nature of the sound, as well as wonder at its familiarity. Slowly, it had developed into a more coherent and clearer sound, not much unlike what he was hearing now. In retrospect, he marvelled at the clarity and singularity of the message sent by the sounds of Sakura crying. At that particular moment, it was as though he felt the depths of her grief and desperation through the sounds of her sobbing, and that alone had been enough to sway him, as though she herself had been calling for him. His dreams of being recognised may not matter, his unkept promises may not have been important, and his hopes of being someday named Hokage may have been diminished in the face of death, but to him..Sakura mattered.

Knowing that she needed someone to comfort her, knowing somewhere deep within that no one would be able to do it like he could, it gave him new meaning to life. It gave Naruto a renewed purpose to live for, and so, he released the reserves of his chakra, intertwining his own with the formerly suppressed quantities that Kyuubi possessed, willing himself to heal, willing himself to get up, go to Sakura and make sure she was alright.

Caressing her arms as he held her against him, he told her as much. He told her she was his reason for living, she was the reason he was still alive in the first place, and most importantly to the both of them, she was the source of the fire that burned within his soul - that fire that made Naruto..Naruto.

Gradually gaining control over her tears, Sakura lifted her head from its resting place and tilted her neck upwards, directing her gaze at her blonde haired lover.

Realising she was looking at him, Naruto relinquished all reminiscing and banished all thoughts of the past into the recesses of his mind. Opening his eyes, he met her gaze as his features softened to give way to a genuine, heartwarming smile.

Their eyes met. Kind and gentle, soft emerald orbs were matched by bright and sparkling, brilliant cerulean stars as they ravenously took in the sight of each other.

Everytime she looked into his eyes, she was still amazed by their depth and brilliance. She marvelled at the intensity of his passion, pure and untempered, which shone through those bright blue irises which had become, over the years, her source of hope and inspiration. Looking into his eyes like this, she wished that she could bask in their radiance forever. She felt like the fire that burned within his soul was the only sustenance she would ever need, the rays of light, refracted by the stars that were his eyes, the single greatest hope she would ever find.

Everytime he looked into her eyes, he would still be beside himself at how beautiful she was. He marvelled at how someone could be so fiercely kind and so violently gentle all at the same time, and how her emotions were conveyed through the glints which glanced either delightfully or dangerously off those deliciously green orbs, those windows to her soul. Looking into her eyes this way, he knew that he could look at them forever and still always want to look some more. He felt as if everytime he looked into them, they grew more and more beautiful, as though those emeralds which were her eyes were fuelled by a light that would never die, only grow stronger with every passing second.

Acting on impulse, he reached out his hand to brush the side of her cheek, tracing her jawline before tilting her chin upwards with two fingers. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly leaned forward, closing the gap between their bodies inch after agonising inch, until their faces were mere millimeters apart.

Spellbound, they sat like that for what seemed like an eternity, enjoying the closeness of their proximity while drinking in the sight of each other, neither wanting to make the next move, willing the moment to extend itself for as long as it possibly could.

Finally, Naruto, ever the impatient one, dispelled the moment, completing what he had started as though he had suddenly remembered what he had been trying to do. Leaning in, he captured her petal coloured lips in a gentle, chaste kiss.

Sakura, never shy once her inhibitions were released(and around Naruto, they _had_ indeed been released), snaked her arm behind his neck and ruffled his blonde hair before pulling him closer to her and deepening the kiss as she flicked her tongue into his mouth to satisfy herself of her craving for the taste of Naruto.

Both sets of eyes fluttered shut, as they both savoured the moment-that one split second of true magic, the moment where one truly believes that true love does conquer all, the pinnacle of love before it is overtaken by passion and turned into lust. That moment, where nothing in the entire universe existed but the two of them.

* * *

Then, she moaned into his mouth, and as if it were a signal, they both broke out in a flurry of heated movements, with her hands one moment sliding underneath his shirt, then cupping his butt or stroking his hair, and his hands groping her body, caressing her breasts, touching her thighs as they both grinded their hips against one another even with clothes in the way.

Unsuccessfully, she tried to stifle a particularly loud moan when he decided to take the next step and slip his hand into her skirt. She felt the wetness spread between her thighs. From the feel of the bulge that was now jabbing her in the butt, she could tell, he too was ready. In between moans, she told him,

"Naruto..not here..," she stifled another moan before forcing herself to continue before it was too late and she was overtaken by her animalistic urges, "..bedroom..won't wake Yuki."

Caught in the heat of the moment, he did not hear her at first, and continued his ministrations between her thighs, causing her to moan yet again. At the mention of their daughter's name however, he understood her meaning completely. Gallantly, he stood up, and in one sweeping motion, lifted her off her feet, carrying her like he had carried her when they had first been married. She had been giggling like a schoolgirl then, and she did so too now, which he had to admit, he found _irresistibly_ sexy.

Controlling the urge to take her right there and then, against the wall, on the floor, on the table, or wherever need be, he whispered huskily into her ear, "Well well well, Mrs. Uzumaki, whatever will your husband say when he finds us in your bedroom?"

This of course, made her blush profusely as she giggled louder and playfully chided him for being such a tease.

Smirking at her, he performed a few handseals. To anyone who happened to be looking on(as would scarcely have been possible in _this _household), a blur of yellow and pink would have been seen streaking up the stairs, down the hallway and into what looked like a master bedroom.

Naruto set his prize on the bed, and suddenly, a predatory look came to his eyes as the smirk on his lips widened into half of a lecherous grin. The sight of such a beauty lying in wait for him on the bed was almost too much for him to bear.

Meanwhile, Sakura lay on her side on the bed, trying to appear as demure as possible, biting her lip to keep from smiling and giggling at how turned on Naruto was at the sight of her. Outwardly, she tried to maintain an innocent appearance, but the glint of lust in her eyes gave her away. She knew she wanted him as much, if not more than he wanted her now.

As he advanced to claim his prize, towards the bed where Sakura now lay, Naruto hooked a leg back to shut the door behind him.

* * *

Luckily for them, they lived on private land, granted to Naruto by virtue of being Hokage-in-training by Tsunade, and had no neighbours, for that night, many thumps, groans and other muffled sounds were heard coming from the biggest bedroom in the house.

Miraculously, two rooms away, an eight year old girl slept soundly, dreaming of things yet to come, of years far into the future. For a moment, her eyelids fluttered as her room was shaken by a mini-tremor which no doubt could have been felt throughout the house, courtesy of Naruto and his pink haired companion. Then, she unconsciously pulled on the sheets, burying herself deeper and deeper into it, and continued dreaming. After all, being eight, she would have been aware of these incidents, which predated her birth, and were frequent occurrences in the Uzumaki residence.

From her mother, she had inherited the virtue of planning ahead, and even at eight, she knew what she wanted her life to be like. At times, visions of being part of a happy family and surrounded by the people she loved filled her little head. Some nights, she had even had dreams of her wedding day, as every young girl who had seen more weddings than she could remember would be want to do. But from her father, she had inherited the courage to believe in the impossible. Even now, her dreams were delusions of grandeur, consisting of things thought to be out of reach of even powerful shinobi like her parents. She dreamt of flying to the moon and meeting new and interesting friends there, of travelling to the depths of the sea to play with the merpeople who were rumoured to live there and of travelling through time to meet the legendary Sandaime, of whom her father spoke volumes, in all his glory.

From the both of them, neither one less than the other, she had also inherited something else. The strength to defy the odds and never give up in the face of any adversity now resided in her soul, its seed sown in there from birth by the living epitomes of those values-her parents. She had inherited the legacy of Konoha which had been passed on through generations of heroes, the desire to protect all that she held close to her. The will of fire that burned within the spirit of every inhabitant of Konoha had been sparked within her, and she was determined that one day, she would make all of her dreams come true, however probable or improbable they might seem. Little did she know, being raised in heroism as she had been, she was, herself, destined for greatness. In time, the little flame would grow, becoming an all encompassing fire that would endure all. She would be a beacon of hope for the future of Konoha, a mirror image of the blazing spirit that her father possessed: an unstoppable fire that will never be extinguished, a fire that will burn through the ages, standing the test of time. But alas, that is a story for another time.

_Fin._

* * *

**Author's Notes: Whoa! Finally it's done! Sure took me a while to write. This is an entry for The Great H&E Fanfic Contest II, with the keyword, if you haven't figured it out already, being fire. Yes, i was setting myself up for another story there at the end, but although the idea's been playing around in my head for quite a while, this one kept growing and growing and growing, i really did not have the time to even think through writing the other one out. Someday though, i will..that's a promise.**

**Glossary:**

**Onegai : Please (The way Sakura says it is supposed to be mockingly seductive, as used in many animes. I'm pretty sure some of you have seen it hehe)**

**Katon, Goukyakuu no Jutsu : Grand Fireball Technique**

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu : Shadow Clone Technique**

**Fuuton!! Rasengan: Wind Rasengan(Spiralling Sphere) (As revealed in Chapter 337. Not sure if it is due to be renamed. Naruto does not complete the words, or the jutsu in the incident in the story)**

**Chidori : One Thousand Birds**

**Mangekyou Sharingan : Kaleidescope Sharingan(Copy Wheel Eyes)**

**Dobe : Dead last **

_Sourced from wikipedia._

**To all Sasuke fans, i'm sorry i had to kill him. Did you spot that last bit of redemption i managed to eke out for him in his final moments? I believe he's a tragic character, from beginning to end, and i can even picture his death somewhere in the series, but only Kishimoto knows how it will go. In that event, i also cannot see Naruto mustering the resolve to actually kill Sasuke, and therefore the one that i can see doing it is Sakura. **

**To all NaruSaku-ers, I hope you like it. I adore the thought of them both together, and i do hope it does come to pass soon!**

**To everyone who took the time to read this, thank you very much for your time. I hope you enjoyed yourselves, and had as good a time reading it as i had writing it. **

**A review would be much appreciated, but not compulsory ) All comments are taken, good or bad, for i am trying to improve my writing, as well as find a style i'm good with. Also, if you liked it and are a member of H&E, please take the time to vote away! Once again, thank you!**


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